Tier III

Tier III

Intensive supports and services are provided to address specific students strengths and needs. These supports and services may include the formal identification of students for special and/or gifted education. Supports and services provided at Tier III are tailored specifically to the child's strengths and needs and typically require individualized education programming. Most of the children you will meet in this text will receive supports and services at the Tier III level.

(Polk Elementary School, 2017)

Examples of Tier III Interventions

Prior to starting Tier III, you must have tried Tier II for at least 6 weeks and submitted your data to your administrator.

•       Alternatives to Suspension
•        Behavior Contract
•       Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
•        Behavior Meetings
•        Breaks
•        Collaboration with Student's Physician and/or Mental Health Provider
•      Counselor Referral
•      Daily Behavior Form
•       Forced Choice Reinforcement Survey
•      Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
•        Individual & Visual Schedules
•        Mentoring
•        Non-Verbal Cues & Signals
•        Organizational Tools
•        Peer Tutoring
•        Reward System
•        Seclusion & Restraint
•        Sensory Tools
•        Social Stories
•        Teach Conflict Resolution Skills
•        Teach Coping Skills
•        Teach Relationship Skills
•        Teach Relaxation Techniques
       
•         Teach Social Skills      

Data Collection

Behavioral Survey

Student Self Evaluation

Tier III Analysis

 The team focuses on identifying students and planning interventions for Tier III. Students chosen for Tier III are typically those performing the lowest on universal screenings (i.e., those whose performance places them in the greatest risk category). Students for Tier III are identified by the same process described for Tier II. Because these students need the most intensive supports, however, planning for specific interventions per need may be more involved than Tier II planning. For instance, a closer look at progress-monitoring data may be necessary to make decisions for students in Tier III. Students who continue to display deficits in level and rate of improvement after Tier III supports may be referred to the special education evaluation process.


Family Involvement

As you begin to implement RTI in your schools, one of the best things you can do to ensure implementation success is to heavily involve parents at all levels of process.  Spend a lot of time communicating, educating, informing and involving parents, and be sure to include them every step of the way. 

Be very specific when describing your schools' RTI model.

Be sure that parents understand the assessments you are using and how the assessments are used to make decisions about their child (screening, progress monitoring, intervention/diagnostic).  If cut scores are used, tell the parents how the cut scores were determined and how they impact support for their child.

Clearly communicate the essential components of the RTI process in your school on "multiple occasions." Just telling parents at the beginning of the year is not enough.  Parents and children come and go, and some of us need to hear new information multiple times.

Be able to explain what the school will do if a child is not showing adequate progress.  Be able to explain clearly what you mean by “adequate progress” and how you document that progress.

Make sure that data shared with parents is easily understood.  Be empathetic.  Ask yourself, "If I were a parent, would this data make sense to me?" Avoid jargon.  Be able to explain how the school uses the data to make decisions about school programming and individual student needs.